Let's Talk Leotards:o)

[Jamarie]

I usually buy my daughter's off ebay and stick with GK or Alpha Factor. This summer she was USTA National Trampoline Champion, so I splurged and bought her a GK leo for practice. I think it is the first new leo I have bought other than her competition leos. In July she brought home the gold at AAU Jr Olympics in Detroit on trampoline and syncro-trampoline, so once again she got a new leo. This time we bought the Addidas one. This is her favorite so far.

 

[Gymnasticsgirl521]

We have all of our leo's seperated by season. Our Gym is SUPER hot in the summer so I rotate the leo's based on season. In the summer we do not wear any velvet ones. She wears her two pieces and tanks. DD loves bing or foil so most HAVE to have that. For fall we do a lot of bike tards and velvet, come winter our gym turns REALLY REALLY cold so I do have a stock of Long sleeve ones. I say get her one or two good quality ones to start and then watch for that leo addiciton. We just wont go into how many we have at our house but I did sell 5 last night so I am doing better.

 

[wendy1972]

Personal preference

We have been making custom leotards for over 20 years and aside from trends, personal preference is key. Fit is the most important "real" issue. Nobody wants to have a wedgie all of the time. Also, most gymnasts have a serious preference to the kind of fabrics they purchase. Some like cotton because they feel like it "breathes"and is cooler. Some like nylon because it is light and sleek. Some like velvet in the winter, but not the summer, whereas some dont feel like it is any hotter than anything else. The various fabric durability may be an issue for you as well. Velvets are very durable in the washing machine and dryer. Foils and holograms need more delicate care or the foil will come off and holograms will get dull. Also, texture may be an issue. We have seen gymnasts that dont like holograms because they feel that it is "scratchy". Good luck in finding your favorite leotard.

Wendy Carhart-Butler
Quantum leotards

 

[gymgramma]

ebay is a great source for used leos at a decent price

 

[flexiballetgirl]

this is a great website Save on Gymnastics Leotards - Dancewear Solutions

 

[aimee]

Well I am a gymnast, not a parent but...
I only have four leos, including a competition leo! Am I crazy or is everyone else addicted? jk
I have two velvet gk, one mystique Melody, and one adidas (nylon/spandex?) I used wear shorts, not the biketards because I felt it is more comfortable in two pieces. Now I never wear shorts. Usually higher levels stop or they buy special gymnastics shorts like you can find on the GK website. I don't feel like velvet is any hotter, but it definitely holds up better in the wash. My Melody leotard is pretty fancy, with rhinestones and it's really bright, but it's just whatever fits and whatever you think looks best. I like GK velvet, but the adidas nylon spandex is lighter and sleeker although the leg is higher cut. Hope this helps!

 

[KipGirl91]

I have totally been bitten by the leotard bug! I have 2 practice leos & 1 comp leo, and I just scored a sweet deal at Walmart - Sport tank top that works as a tank leo!:thumbsup: I finally admitted I have scrunchie obsession too - just picked up two more at a sale on Monday, and looking forward to the next sale!

 

[gymbrat4life]

being a level 6 gymnast, i know that the leo doesnt matter, its the tot inside the leo! fancy plain, long or short sleeved, what ev makes u happy

 

[flipandtwist]

I have 6 leos...without competition. I got one from snowflake one from gk and the rest from ebay! All of them are so cute!

 

[socko]

As far as leos go, my daughter has her "favorites" that she wears regularly...she tends to like the GK and Adidas leos for fit and comfort. We've bought a few from Satara Leos and Foxy Leos and they have some really cute and different styles. At meets we will occasionally get one there too...most meets have a GK rep but occasionally we will see a different vendor with a different style. I always have her try it on...if she comes out of the dressing room and says "well.." we don't buy it, but if she comes out saying "I love it" then it's a candidate for purchase. I learned the hard way that if they are lukewarm about the leo at purchase time, it will never be worn.

 

[T.Gymnastics]

I'm a newbie gym momma and still learning

I finally found an awesome gym for my dd that looks very promising! Yay! Leotards are a requirement.

Is there certain leotards that are more for workout? Are long sleeve just for comp or can they be worn in practice in the winter? Does your child wear basic/plain leotards or the fancy foil with rhinestones? Are there does and don't to leotards or does your child wear whatever they want? Thanks in advance!

any leo works really. sometimes we wear longsleeves but we end up getting hot. so some of us started wearing "under armour" for the begining of pracyice. its really expensive tho. i have some plain and some fancy. we are allowed to wear leotard and spandex shorts.

 

[FlipsLeos]

I'm pretty sure the OP found a couple of leos that her dd REALLY loved.... LOL!! And I know where she got them from too.....

 

[westham123]

I have tried alpha factor and gk, i find alpha abit better fit thou

it is true it si easy to get addited to leotards

i also tend to wear uniatrds to, btu these are ballet items as there is no such thing in gym

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

Velvet is okay even in summer if your gym has a fan system (like mine) or AC, if you're not in the South or Southwest US. Tank leos are a MUST for practice. If you want a little embellishment, that's fine, but too much is just silly. A good combination is a leotard that is shiny, so they get a little "flair" without rhinestones (which come off anyway).

I have 4 practice leos that fit me. Two are velvet with a silver sparkle pattern on the chest (different colors, different patterns). One is a pleasant brown color and somewhat shiny (it's my favorite). One is gold and quite shiny with black trim. It is new and the elastic is a little too tight. But I refuse to wear a medium!

 

[gymbratleotards]

My leotards are made with workouts in mind. The leotards are more conservatively cut in the leg, which prevents them from riding up. I try to keep my prices low to make them affordable. Most are around $19 with $3 same day shipping.

 

[PinkFreak440]

i coach a few pre school classes, and really it's up to the kids a lot. of she likes hot pink with like gree stripes, go for it. she likes plain pink? good. get it. i don't reccomend any fancy ballet type leo's cuz like another member said, that skirt gets annoying. biketards are nice, but trying to pick that wedgie is halarious...i watched a girl do it the other night LOL! and i think they look silly, but whatever the kid likes. also, long sleeves are a big no no in my gym....they get in the way for stuff on the bars, but if she is young it won't matter too much, but a lot of coaches frown upon it.

 

[gymgymgymnast08]

I have way too many leotards! Most of mine are from JAMWEAR LEOS . They are pretty inexpensive and i'm the only one at my gym who has them! I love the gk ones too but a lot of people have them.

 

[AussieMum]

also, long sleeves are a big no no in my gym....they get in the way for stuff on the bars, but if she is young it won't matter too much, but a lot of coaches frown upon it.

why is that?? Surely they'd be wearing long sleeves in comps, so why can't they wear them in training?

 

[AussieMum]

Oh, and BTW, I too have a SERIOUS leo addition!!

I keep telling her she has enough, and then I spot an irresistable bargain and just have to buy her another one!!

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

OMG....I am seriously going to have to start a LBA (leotard buyers anonomys) club. I counted my DD's leos and she literally has 42 leos! They range in sizes from CS to AXS. Mostly GK but also Alpha Factor, Snowflake, Motionwear, and Rebecca's Mom. Luckily she does not care for the shorts too much so we only have about 5 pair. She likes the longsleeve leos and we have about 3 but she usually ends up getting too warm in them and changes at break time. I only let her wear them in the winter months. Ebay is where I buy most of them and I have also resold some after she has outgrown them or she doesn't like them anymore. This way I have money to buy ....yes you guessed it.....more leos!!